The Four Seasons
In classical art, it is common to see statues of the Four Seasons, each one representing a season and holding symbols or objects that signify their unique characteristics, such as Spring flowers, Summer fruits, Autumn leaves, and warming Winter fires. These statues have been a popular motif since ancient times, serving as a reminder of the importance of nature and the changing seasons. Artists being artists have been tweaking, revising, and upending the theme for centuries. When I was commissioned to make four classical sculptures for the atrium of a fine Georgian Irish Mansion it was my turn to put my spin on this classical oeuvre.
The planned sculptures were for the four balconied gallerias built into the atrium walls. During my first visit to the site in the summer of 2023, I climbed to the top of the glass dome to look more closely at the inglenooks where the sculptures would be sited. The fickle Irish weather was doing its thing outside but inside the effect was magnified – the shifting sky scape cinematically framed in the glass cupula. Here, the streamlined geometry and fancy plasterwork were mere back drops to the main event – the weather and the changing of seasons. From the rat a tat tat of raindrops on windows to the laser beams of sun this was the perfect theme for the perfect location.
Known for my use of found objects, here I decided to breathe new life into discarded drinks cans gathered from local beaches and scrapyards. Using an industrial can crusher, weights, and old fashioned brute force the cans were compressed into the ladylike forms of Spring Summer Autumn and Winter. The crude shapes were then finely honed and buffed to a super polished finish until they were crude shapes no more – and popped on a mountainous plinth of scrap metal.
The ladies were ‘dressed’ in colour relevant, machine sewn patchwork can fabric, fashioned into Greek empire line dresses befitting a Greek goddess. Each sculpture was then handed her unique seasonal characteristics. Spring a vision in blue alco-pop cans with an abundance of seasonal flowers, Summer a blonde goddess with seashells, Autumn a little dowdy in brown leaves and safety pin necklace and Winter staving off the cold with her shawl of ring pulls.
Like Juliet on her balcony, each lady has her own season to shine.
